Punch



Feb; 15, 1944.

F. CONSTANTINO 7 a? Z a n/ a v, w. a a, 0 L 0 A l 6 a 1 9Q? ,F 4 1 A z. a H z A m M11. U ham Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PUNCH Fred Constantino, Schenectady, N. Y. I Application March 17, 1942, Serial No. 435,065

12 Claim ance between the male and female punch mem-,

bers, but in any case this clearance is small and the male member is frequently deflected t such an extent that the, portion opposite the work strikes the cooperative portion of the female member with the result that both members are ruined. Moreover, the breaking of the punch members in this way often results in flying pieces of jagged metal which cause serious injury to the operator.

Male punch members used for notching are sometimes formed with a fixedheelv positioned in advance of the cutting edges, and which by. entering the female die, before the cutting edges strike the work, prevents lateral deflection of the. male member. But such male members cannot be used for punching holes or cutouts, and the depth of the slot or notch that can be cut is, limited by the heel. Furthermore, if opposite edges of a long sheet or strip are to be notched, either the sheet or the punch must be turned. Thus their utility is restricted.

The principal object of my invention is to, provide a male punch member which not only may be used to pierce holes of any shape for which it is designed but also to cut corner notches,.

radius slots, etc., in which only a portion of the male member is employed, without danger of" shearing anddestroying the punch members. In other words, my object is to provide a male member having a continuous cutting edge such that, it is adapted to punch holes of any shape for which it may be designed but which is provided with means which will function to prevent lateral.

deflection of, the member when. only aportion of and arrangement thereof; described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is an outside elevation view of the male member of my punch showing it secured to the punch head;

Fig. 2 is an elevation view of the punch head;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the punch head;

Fig. 4 is an elevation view, with a portion broken away, of the central or fixed element of the male member; i

Fig, 5 is a top plan, view of the fixed,central' member;

Fig. 6 is an elevation view of a side element;

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of a side element;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the side elements in assembled relation with the central element;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevation view of the male and female membersof the punch; and

Fig. 10 is a small scale plan view of the female punch member showing a fragmentary portion of a strip. of material to be notched positioned thereover.

Referring to the drawing, l is the punch head which is generally cylindrical as shown in Fig; 3. The bottom of the punch head is provided with the rectangularly disposed keyways 2 and 3, and tapped holes 4 adapted to receive the threaded ends 5 of Allen screws 6 for securing the central or fixed element 1 of the male member to the punch head. The top of member 1 is provided with rectangularly disposed keyways 8 and 9' adapted to cooperate with the keyways 3 and 2 respectively in the punch head for the reception of keys [0 (see, Fig. 1). Holes II, which are countersunk on the bottom, as shown at l2, and

which are adapted to register with the tapped holes 4 in the bottom of the punch head, are provided for the screws 6. The periphery of the upper portion of the element 1 is cylindrical, as shown at l 3 and I4, and is of the same diameter as the cylindrical base of the punch head. The lower portion of the element 1 is cruciform and is provided with cutting edges I5, l6, l1 and I8 at the extremities of the cross arms. Extending downwardly into the body of the fixed element 1 are four symmetrically disposed, T-shaped recesses 19 adapted to receive the complementarily shapedlugs 20, on the side elements 2 I. the upper portion of each of the side elements- 2] is cylindrical, as shown at 22, and of the sameradius as the radius of the punch head and the cylindricalportions of the fixed elements I. The

The outside of back portion of the side elements 2| from which the T-shaped lugs 20 project is plane from top to bottom, as shown at 23, as is also the side 24. The lower portion 25 of each of the side elements 2| is rectangular and each of said side elements is provided at the bottom with angularly disposed cutting edges 26 and 21. The depth or height of the cylindrical portions 22 of the side elements is the same as the depth or height of the cylindrical portions of the fixed element 1. Likewise the depth or height of the rectangular lower portions of the side elements 2| which are provided with the cutting edges 26 and 21 is the same as that of the cruciform portion of the fixed element. The side elements are closely interfitted with the central element in the spaces between the cross arms, as best shown in Fig. 8.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the side element 2|, shown in Fig. 8, is moved upwardly with relation to the central element so that their tops lie in-the same plane the cutting edge 26 on the side element will be aligned with the cutting edge l on the central element, and the cutting edge 2! on the side element will be aligned with the cutting edge I! on the central element. Thus, when the parts are in this position the cutting edges on the central and side elements will cooperate to form a substantially continuous peripheral cutting edge around the operating face of the male member. The distance which the side elements may move downwardly with respect to the central element is limited by the contact of the bottoms of the T- shaped lugs 20 with the bottoms of the T-shaped passages l9 in the central element. Ordinarily the weight of the elements 2| will be sufficient to maintain them in the position shown in Fig. 8 with respect to the central member or, with'their cutting edges substantially in advance of the cutting edges of the central member. However, to insure that the cutting edges on the side elements will normally be positioned in advance of the cutting edges on the central element helical compression springs 28 are preferably interposed between the tops of the side elements 2| and the bottom of the punch head. In order to prevent displacement of these springs a cylindrical recess 29 is provided in the top of each of the elements 2| in alignment with corresponding cylindrical recesses 30 in the punch head to receive the ends of the springs.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated my male punch member in cooperation with a female member to show how the side elements function to prevent lateral displacement of the male member when the punch is used for notching. Bearing in mind i that the cutting edges 26 and 21 on the side elements are normally maintained in advance of the cutting edges on the fixed central element by means of springs 28, it will be apparent that when the male member moves downwardly the cutting edges 26 and 21 on the side elements, provided they encounter no resistance, will enter the female member before the edges on the cen-,

tral element. Thus, the cutting edge 26 on the right hand side element in Fig. 9 extends somewhat within the female member. On the other hand, the left hand side element as viewed in Fig. 9 has encountered the sheet metal 3| which is to be notched and, as the male member descends the left hand side element moves upwardly against the compression of the spring 28 (here invisible) which is disposed between the top of the side element and the punch head until the top of'the side element is in contact with the bottom of the punch head. In this position the cutting edges on the side element are aligned with the adjacent cutting edges on the central element and all of the edge 26 and a portion of the edge l5 serve to cut the metal 3|. Since the bottom portion of the right hand side element is already within the female element the contact of the punch with the work 3| cannot deflect the male member to the right and therefore there can be no damage done by contact of the male and female members.

While I have illustrated and described an embodiment of my invention which is adapted to make a rectangular cut-out when all of the cutting edges of the male member function, it is obvious that the invention is not limited in its application to any particular shape of male member and that it may be advantageously applied to male members designed to punch holes of substantially any shape.

What I claim is:

1. A male punch member comprising a fixed element provided with cutting edges, and a plurality of movable elements slidably cooperating with said fixed element and also provided with cutting edges; the cutting edges on said last mentioned elements being normally positioned in advance of the cutting edges on said fixed element; whereby they are normally adapted first to enter a female punch member adapted to cooperate with said male member; and said movable elements being movable from a. position in which their cutting edges are in advance of the cutting edges on said fixed element to a position in which at least some of their cutting edges are coplanar with at least some of the cutting edges on the fixed element.

2. A male punch member comprising a plurality of separate elements provided with cutting edges and complementary interfitting portions providing limited relative movement of said elements axially of said member; the cutting edges on certain of said elements being normally positioned in advance of the cutting edges on other of said elements; whereby they are normally adapted first to enter a female punch member adapted to cooperate with said male member;

and said certain elements being movable from a position in which their cutting edges are in advance of the cutting edges on the other of said elements to a position in which all of said cutting edges are in a single plane constituting the work engaging face of said punch member.

3. A male punch member comprising two elements relatively movable axially of said punch and each provided with cutting edges adapted to cooperate with the cutting edges on a female punch member; the cutting edges on one of said elements being normally positioned in advance of the cutting edges on the other of said elements, whereby they are normally adapted first to enter said female punch member and means limiting the relative movement of said elements between a position in which the cutting edges on the one are substantially in advance of the cutting edges on the other, and a position in which the cutting edges on the one cooperate with the cutting edges on the other to form a single substantially continuous cutting edge.

4. A male punch member comprising a central element provided with cutting edges, side ele-- ments provided with cutting edges normally positioned in advance of the cutting edges on said central element, whereby they are normally adapted first to enter a female punch member adapted to cooperate with said male member, and means connecting said side elements to said central element in axially slidable relation thereto and providing relative movement of said elements from the position in which the cutting edges on said side elements are in advance of the cutting edges on said central element to a position in which all said edges cooperate to form a single substantially continuous cutting edge.

5. A male punch member having a' rectangular operating face and comprising a fixed central element and movable elements forming the corner portions of said operating face; said central element and said corner forming elements being provided with closely interfitting, slidably cooperating portions adapted to permit limited rel-ative movement of said elements axially of said punch member, and resilient means yieldingly holding said movable elements in advance of said central element whereby they are normally adapted to enter a female punch member adapted to cooperate with said male member before the entry of said central element.

first to enter said female member, and mountlugs for said advanced sections providing for movement thereof from said advanced positions into substantially continuous-edge-forming relation with the remaining sections of said male cutting edge.

7. In a punch, the combination with a female member provided with a cutting edge, of a cooperating malemember provided with a cutting edge comprising separate sections, mountings for said sections providing limited relative movement thereof axially of said punch, and resilient means normally maintaining said sections in axially spaced relation but adapted to yield upon the application of pressure to bring the separate sections of said cutting edge into operative alignment.

8. A male punch member comprising a head, a central element provided with spaced, cutting edges securedto said head, side elements provided with cutting edges and means securing them to said central element in closely interfitted but axially slidable relation with the cutting edges thereon disposed between and normally in advance of the cutting edges on said central element; whereby they are normally adapted first to enter a female punch member adapted to cooperate with said male member; and said side elements being slidable from their normal position to a position in which their cutting edges cooperate with the cutting edges on said central element to form a single substantially continuous peripheral cutting edge for said member.

9. A male punch member comprising .a head, a central element provided with spaced cutting edges secured to said head, side elements provided with cutting edges and means securing them to said central element in closely interfitted but axially slidable relation with the cutting edges thereon disposed between the cutting edges on said central element and cooperating therewith to form a single substantially continuous peripheral cutting edge for said member, and resilient means cooperating with said side elements and biased to urge the outing edges thereof to positions in advance of the cutting edges on said central element.

10. A male punch member having a work-engaging face comprising two separate elements forming substantially oppositely disposed portions thereof; each of said elements being provided with cutting edges normally coplanar with the cutting edges on the other and adapted to cooperate with the cutting edges on a female member, whereby, said oppositely disposed portions may be used separately for notching the opposite edges of an elongated strip of material without turning said strip; and mountings for said elements providing substantially free, independent movement thereof axially of said male member through a limited distance but in excess of the thickness of the material to be notched and in a direction away from said female member; whereby, when only one of said elements is brought into operative contact with said material, relative axial movement of said elements will be initially effected and the other element will enter said female member and function as a heel and maintain said members in operative alignment throughout the notching operation.

11. The structure set forth in claim 10 together with resilient means cooperating with and normally urging said elements axially of said member and in a direction towards said female member to [a position in which their cutting edges are substantially coplanar.

12. A male punch member having a work engaging face comprising at least two separate elements'forming substantially oppositely disposed portions thereof and each of said elements having cutting edges thereon adapted to cooperate with the cutting edges on a female member; whereby either of said portions may be used separately for notching the opposite edges of an elongated strip of material without turning said strip; means securing said elements together in punch-assembled relation and providing substantially free relative movement thereof, axially of said member, and limiting said movement, between a position in which the cutting edges on one of said elements are substantially in advance of the cutting edges on the other element and a position in which the cutting edges on the other of said elements are substantially in advance of the cutting edges on said one element; whereby, when only one of said elements is brought into operative contact with said material, the cutting edges on the other of said elements may enter said female member, and said other element will then function as a heel to maintain said members in operative alignment during the notching operation.

FRED CONSTANTINO. 

